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Obstacles for Black Women wanting to go into Technology

by Maya Johnson

Obstacles for Black Women wanting to go into Technology

image credit: maswired.com

image credit: maswired.com

Black women have to go through many obstacles to get into the technology business, especially if they are creating their own business around it. However, maswired.com found that there are three major things that make it even tougher for black women to get into tech.

One is money. At a “Black Women in Tech: Uncovering Barriers to Entry” panel at South by Southwest, startup founder of Socialgrlz, Marissa Jennings, stated that she had a hard time with her crowd sourcing campaign. From her attempts, Jennings used her newfound experience to get connections and funders to help her with her fundraising to promote and launch her company.

“Unlike some startups who gather their initial seed money from friends and family, the black community may not have that kind of capital,” said tech CEO Aaron Saunders to maswired.com.

The next barrier is entry to technology. Saunders pointed out that if a person wants to be in the technology business, they should not be afraid to ask stupid questions. When it comes to technology, one can know how to build it and/or manage it, but to expand one’s skills and abilities, ask questions and be open to new skills.

The final barrier is finding the right mentors. According to the panelists, this is a tough barrier to some black women who have trouble navigating the startup, funding, or tech world. Jennings mentioned her method of the “3 D’s”: doers, donors and door openers. Having these types of people will help a black woman succeed in the field of technology.

To read the full article, go to this link.

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